Gender-based violence is a major public health and human rights problem throughout the world. It is sometimes referred to as violence against women (VAW) and it often reflects male power and control in society. A number of health and gender factors put women at a comparative disadvantage vis-à-vis men. This is reflected in the fact that between 15% and 71% of women suffer physical or sexual violence committed by an intimate male partner at some point in their life.

Gender based violence pervades issues of sexual abuse of children, rape, domestic violence, sexual assault and harassment, trafficking of women and girls and several harmful traditional practices (UNFPA).

Any one of these abuses can leave deep psychological scars, damage the health of women and girls in general, including their reproductive and sexual health, and in some instances, results in death.

For the international community involved in development cooperation, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is also a form of gender-based violence.

The WHO estimates that 130 million of girls and women world-wide are affected by FGM, with another two million girls at annual risk of undergoing some form of the “operations” that modify the normal anatomy of a woman’s external genitalia. All types of FGM can lead to immediate and long-term medical, sexual and psychological complications.

Female Genital Mutilation is a longstanding and deep-rooted tradition. Until recently it was often misleadingly portrayed as brutal, backward and inhumane whereas many African societies sought to defend and preserve a tradition perceived essential for their cultural identity and social cohesion. Today, calls to end FGM increasingly come from within the affected societies themselves. International development agencies play an important role supporting the South to develop culturally sensitive and locally adapted approaches. Female Genital Mutilation is a complex issue that should be addressed in a respectful and non judgmental way, by supporting those African voices that want to move forward and work towards ending the tradition.